November 21, 2008

Knoedler signing for one year into Cards minor league system

4thebirds...... No club can ever have enough pitchers, but if there's a second position that fits the "never have enough of" list, it would have to be catchers.

Justin Knoedler is catcher. The Cardinals just signed him to a one-year deal to play in their minor league system, according to story in The State Journal-Register.

Knoedler is 27 years old, coming from the Oakland A's Triple-A affiliate Sacramento.

He doesn't expect to be playing with the parent club, but knows if Yadier Molina or Jason LaRue should happen to need time off from their major league duties, that there's a good chance he'll get a call up to fill in or back up, as the case may be. Understanding that another Cardinals' catching hopeful, Bryan Anderson, is still in his early 20s, Knoedler expressed that there would be a good chance the Cards would want to leave Anderson alone so he can get more playing time and experience than if he was with the parent club.

Knoedler is from Springfield, IL, and likes the idea of being closer to home.